America (band)
| America | |
|---|---|
 America (1972), Gerry Beckley, Dan Peek and Dewey Bunnell (from left to right) |
|
| General information | |
| Genre (s) | skirt |
| founding | 1970 |
| Website | venturahighway.com |
| Founding members | |
| Dewey Bunnell (born January 19, 1951) |
|
Vocals, guitar |
Dan Peek (until 1977) (born November 1, 1950 - July 24, 2011) |
Vocals, guitar |
Gerry Beckley (born September 12, 1952) |
America is a British folk-rock band that had its most commercial success in the early 1970s. Her best-known hits include A Horse with No Name , You Can Do Magic , Ventura Highway , Sister Golden Hair and The Last Unicorn .
Band history
The group members Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley, all three singers and acoustic guitarists were children in the United Kingdom stationed US troops of the United States Air Force . They met in 1967 at Central High School in London and gained their first stage experience in groups on the London scene. The trio played regularly in The Roundhouse . In 1969 they formed a project called Daze , originally a folk-rock quintet that soon became a trio. The three finished school in 1970. Under the name America , the band got a record deal with Warner Brothers Records , brokered by disc jockey Jeff Dexter . The song A Horse with No Name , written and recorded by Dewey Bunnell in London in 1971 and released by Warner Brothers in January 1972 , was also their first single, harmonized with two chords and played with a triplet accompaniment rhythm . It reached number 3 on the British and number 1 on the US charts. The first album, America , came in at number 14 in the UK, and like the single, it moved up to top position in the US.
In February 1972 the band played in the opening act of the Everly Brothers during a North American tour.
Ventura Highway , the first single from the second album Homecoming (1972), was also a hit with millions in sales, number 8 in the US charts. America won a Grammy Award in 1973 for Best New Artist . Homecoming was very successful in the USA, a little less in England.
The third album Hat Trick fell short of expectations. This album includes the track Muskrat Love , which the group recorded in 1971. The song was released as a single, but only reached number 67 on the US charts. The fourth album Holiday (like the following six albums with George Martin as producer) brought America back on the road to success with the two hit singles Tin Man No. 4 and Lonely People No. 5 in the US charts.
The next album Hearts (1975) contained the band's second US number one hit, Sister Golden Hair . The 1976 album Hideaway , on the other hand, was not very successful. As a result, Dan Peek left the group in 1977, was active as a "born again Christian" in the musical proclamation of the faith, and the remaining duo Beckley and Bunnell brought out little-noticed albums in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After a two-year creative break, the two had the album Silent Letter with three other band members in 1979 . Like this, the follow-up album Alibi was not very successful.
In 1983 there was a comeback: The piece You Can Do Magic from the album View from the Ground , written by the British singer Russ Ballard , reached number eight in the US charts. The written also by Russ Ballard piece The Border reached in 1983 No. 33 in the US singles chart and has since the last hit single for America in the United States. Ballard had also produced both singles in the production of Your Move (1983) he was the sole director. Especially in Germany, America was the composed by Jimmy Webb soundtrack to the animated film " The Last Unicorn " ( The Last Unicorn American US) by author Peter S. Beagle early 1984 successfully.
After things got a little quieter for the band in the later 80s and 90s, the sixteenth studio album Here and Now was released in early 2007 on SonyBMG's new label Burgundy Records . With the participation of well-known guest musicians such as Ryan Adams and Ben Kweller , twelve songs were created, which were positively received by both critics and the fan base. In order to reach as wide an audience as possible, it was decided to add a bonus CD with a current live recording to the album : the entire History: America's Greatest Hits album was played live as part of the "XM's Then Again" series of the American broadcaster XM Radio . The group is still active today. America tours mostly the United States for several months a year. Most recently z. B. a live DVD with a concert recording.
After overcoming alcohol and drug addiction, Dan Peek became a supporter of the revival movement and released several albums with contemporary Christian music . He died unexpectedly on July 24, 2011 at the age of 60.
Discography
Studio albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 DE
|
 UK
|
 US
|
|||
| 1971 | America | - |
UK14 (13 weeks) UK |
US1  (40 weeks)US |
|
| 1972 | Homecoming | - |
UK21 (5 weeks) UK |
US9 (32 weeks)US |
|
| 1973 | Has trick | - |
UK41  (3 weeks)UK |
US28 (18 weeks) US |
|
| 1974 | Holiday | - |
UK- |
US3  (53 weeks)US |
|
| 1975 | Hearts | - |
UK- |
US4th (44 weeks)US |
|
| 1976 | Hideaway | - | - |
US11 (22 weeks)US |
|
| 1977 | Harbor | - | - |
US21 (14 weeks) US |
|
| 1979 | Silent letter | - | - |
US110 (6 weeks) US |
|
| 1980 | alibi | - | - |
US142 (6 weeks) US |
|
| 1982 | View from the ground | - | - |
US41 (28 weeks) US |
|
| 1983 | Your Move |
DE61 (2 weeks) DE |
- |
US81 (14 weeks) US |
|
| 1984 | Perspective | - | - |
US185 (3 weeks) US |
|
| 2007 | Here & Now | - | - |
US52 (2 weeks) US |
|
More albums
- 1994: Hourglass
- 1998: Human Nature
- 2011: Hits - 40th Anniversary Edition
- 2011: Back Pages
- 2015: Lost & Found
- 2015: Archives, Vol 1
- 2017: Heritage: Home Recordings / Demos 1970-1973
Compilations
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1975 | History: America's Greatest Hits |
DE- |
UK60 (1 week)UK |
US3 × 4
(63 weeks)US |
|
| 2001 | The Definitive America | - |
UK87 (1 week) UK |
- | |
| The Complete Greatest Hits | - | - |
US152 (5 weeks) US |
||
More compilations
- 1981: America's Gold
- 1991: Encore: More Greatest Hits
- 1992: Ventura Highway & Other Favorites
- 1996: Premium Gold Collection
- 1998: The Legendary America
- 2000: Highway
- 2002: Holiday Harmony
- 2004: A Horse with No Name & Other Hits
- 2006: The Definitive Pop Collection
- 2008: Only the Best of America
- 2010: Collectables Classics
- 2013: Original Album Series
- 2015: Playlist: The Very Best of America
- 2015: The Warner Bros. Years 1971-1977
- 2017: An Introduction To: America
- 2018: The Archives: America
- 2019: The Capitol Years
- 2019: 50th Anniversary: The Collection
- 2019: 50th Anniversary: Golden Hits
Live albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1977 | live | - | - |
US129 (7 weeks) US |
|
More live albums
- 1981: Live In Central Park
- 1985: In Concert
- 1995: Horse with No Name
- 1995: In Concert (King Biscuit)
- 2002: The Grand Cayman Concert
- 2008: Live in Concert: Wildwood Springs
- 2015: Sigma Sound Studio 1972
- 2016: Universal Amphitheater LA 1978
- 2018: Live Whiskey A-Go-Go 1972
- 2019: Live In Central Park 1979
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
DE
|
UK
|
US
|
|||
| 1972 | A Horse with No Name America |
- |
UK3 (16 weeks)UK |
US1 (14 weeks)US |
|
| I need you america |
- | - |
US9 (10 weeks) US |
||
| Ventura Highway Homecoming |
- |
UK43 (4 weeks) UK |
US8 (12 weeks) US |
||
| 1973 | Don't Cross the River Homecoming |
- | - |
US35 (8 weeks) US |
|
| Only in Your Heart Homecoming |
- | - |
US62 (5 weeks) US |
||
| Muskrat Love Hat Trick |
- | - |
US67 (8 weeks) US |
||
| 1974 | Tin Man Holiday |
- | - |
US4 (18 weeks) US |
|
| Lonely People Holiday |
- | - |
US5 (14 weeks) US |
||
| 1975 | Sister Golden Hair Hearts |
- | - |
US1 (16 weeks) US |
|
| Daisy Jane Hearts |
- | - |
US20 (13 weeks) US |
||
| Woman Tonight Hearts |
- | - |
US44 (9 weeks) US |
||
| 1976 | Today's the Day Hideaway |
- | - |
US23 (12 weeks) US |
|
| Amber Cascades Hideaway |
- | - |
US75 (4 weeks) US |
||
| 1979 | California Dreamin ' California Dreaming OST |
- | - |
US56 (5 weeks) US |
|
| 1982 | You Can Do Magic View from the Ground |
- |
UK59 (3 weeks) UK |
US8 (20 weeks) US |
|
| Right Before Your Eyes View from the Ground |
- | - |
US45 (13 weeks) US |
||
| 1983 | The Border Your Move |
- | - |
US33 (12 weeks) US |
|
| 1984 | The Last Unicorn The Last Unicorn OST |
DE38 (9 weeks) DE |
- | - | |
| 1994 | Young Moon Hourglass |
DE79 (6 weeks) DE |
- | - | |
More singles
- 1973: Rainbow Song
- 1974: Green Monkey
- 1975: Simple Life
- 1976: She's a Liar
- 1976: Jet Boy Blue
- 1977: God of the Sun
- 1977: Don't Cry Baby
- 1977: Slow Down
- 1979: Only Game in Town
- 1979: All My Life
- 1979: All Around
- 1980: You Could Have Been the One
- 1980: Hangover
- 1980: Survival
- 1982: Jody
- 1983: Cast the Spirit
- 1984: Special Girl
- 1984: Can't Fall Asleep to a Lullaby (feat. Steve Perry )
- 1990: The Last Two to Dance
- 1994: Hope
- 1995: Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
- 1998: From a Moving Train
- 1998: Wednesday Morning
- 1998: moment to moment
- 2002: Winter Wonderland
- 2007: Chasing the Rainbow
- 2007: Ride On
- 2015: Driving
Awards for music sales
|
|
Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.
| Country / Region |
silver |
gold |
platinum
|
Sales | swell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources) |
|||||
|
Germany (BVMI)
|
- | - |
platinum1
|
500,000 | musikindustrie.de |
 Canada (MC)
|
- |
2 × gold2
|
2 × platinum2
|
300,000 | musiccanada.com |
|
United States (RIAA)
|
- |
4 × gold4th
|
6 × platinum6th
|
8,500,000 | riaa.com |
|
United Kingdom (BPI)
|
4 × silver4th
|
gold1
|
- | 640,000 | bpi.co.uk |
| All in all |
4 × silver4th
|
7 × gold7th
|
9 × platinum9
|
||
Awards
- 1995: in the category "cult band of the year"
literature
- Jon Pareles, Patricia Romanowski (Eds.): The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia Of Rock & Roll. Rolling Stone Press / Michael Joseph, London: 1983, p. 11.
- Frank Laufenberg, Ingrid Hake: Rock and Pop Lexicon. Vol. 1: ABBA - Kay Kyser. Econ Verlag, Düsseldorf / Vienna 1994, p. 33.
Individual evidence
- Jump up ↑ "How, that's not Neil Young?" America, the band. at spiegel.de, accessed on August 28, 2015
- ↑ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. Gerig, 1996, ISBN 3-87252-250-7 , p. 5
- ↑ America at munzinger.de, accessed on August 28, 2015
- ↑ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. 1996, p. 5.
- ^ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. 1996, pp. 5-7 (America: A Horse With No Name ).
- ↑ Fred Bronson: The Billboard Book of Number One Hits. 3rd, revised and expanded edition. Billboard Publications, New York 1992, p. 309.
- ↑ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. 1996, p. 5.
- ↑ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. 1996, p. 5.
- ↑ Wieland Harms: The Unplugged Guitar Book 2. 1996, p. 5.
- ↑ a b c d Chart sources: DE UK US
- ↑ RSH Gold Award 1995
Web links
- Large fansite on accessbackstage.com (English)